Daud
Daud, renowned as the "Knife of Dunwall", is the leader of a group of assassins known as the Whalers that operate in Dunwall. He is responsible for the death of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and the kidnapping of her daughter, Emily. Daud is one of the main antagonists and an assassination target in Dishonored, as well as the protagonist in two of the game's DLCs, The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. Biography Little is known about Daud's early life. Though his mother is rumored to have come from an island off the Pandyssian Continent, Daud, like Corvo, hails from Serkonos. In a journal detailing different manifestations of magic, Daud notes that, contrary to rumors that his mother was a witch marked by the Outsider, she was simply proficient in the use of poisons and hallucinogens, and ruthless in their administration. The Heart reveals that at some point in his childhood, Daud's natural abilities caught the attention of a mysterious actor, which eventually led to his abduction. The book Rumors and Sighting: Daud suggests that at some point between this period and the events of Dishonored, Daud came to Dunwall and began to make a name for himself, "moving among the shop keepers and City Watch Officers of Dunwall like a reaper through wheat." The book suggests that Daud subsequently traveled the Isles seeking Outsider Shrines, which Daud himself confirms upon meeting Corvo. It is rumored that during this time, he spent a winter at the Academy of Natural Philosophy, though there is no additional information to support this assertion. Marked by the Outsider After visiting various shrines around the Isles, Daud became infamous as an assassin, feared not only for his skill, but also for his magic powers. One of the eight individuals gifted with the Outsider's Mark, his known powers are Blink (referred to as "transversals"), Bend Time, Summon Assassin, Pull (referred to as "tethering"), and resistance to poisons (including Corvo's sleep darts). Another power, known as Arcane Bond, gives him the ability to grant lesser versions of his magic to others, which he utilizes in regard to his assassin followers. Daud used these powers to establish himself and the Whalers as assassins for hire to the elite of Dunwall. (During this period, he met his eventual second-in-command Billie Lurk, then a street urchin with an affinity for the trade.Meeting Daud) Their repute in the underworld of Dunwall caught the attention of Hiram Burrows, who made use of their services a number of times in his capacity as Royal Spymaster. Eventually, he hired Daud and his assassins to assassinate the Empress and kidnap her daughter. Despite the Outsider's initial favor for Daud, a rift developed between the two sometime before the events of Dishonored. The Outsider himself notes that he lost interest in Daud prior to the assassination of the Empress, and interacts with Daud in a hostile and derisive manner throughout The Knife of Dunwall. ''The Knife of Dunwall'' After carrying out the assassination of the Empress and delivering Emily to Burrows' agents, Daud is wracked with guilt over the act, a feeling which the Outsider reinforces. Appearing to Daud after the assassination, the Outsider provides him with "one last gift" so that he may alter coming events: the name Delilah. Unable to abide a mystery by his own admittance,Daud's Journal: Delilah Copperspoon Daud begins to investigate the significance of the name. The conclusion of the DLC is affected by the chaos Daud inflicts over the course of his search, similar to how Corvo's actions affect the conclusion of Dishonored. With the help of Billie Lurk, Daud discovers the whaling trawler Delilah at the Rothwild Slaughterhouse; his subsequent hunt eventually directs him to Delilah Copperspoon, a painter, black magic practitioner, and leader of the Brigmore Witches. As Daud discovers Delilah took an interest in him long before he ever heard of her (learning, for instance, that Arnold and Thalia Timsh saw Delilah painting his name across a canvas during a seance), the assassins' hideout in the Flooded District is overtaken by Overseers. After pushing back the Overseers' forces, Daud learns that he was betrayed by Billie, who saw his regret over the Empress' assassination as weakness and plotted to take his place. Working in conjunction with Delilah, they brought the Overseers to the Flooded District and arranged for Billie to kill Daud herself. In high chaos, Billie duels Daud for leadership of the Whalers, and Daud can either kill or spare her; in low chaos, she chooses not to go through with the act, leaving her fate in Daud's hands. Daud's decision in either case affects the Outsider's final opinion and narration as the story closes. ''The Brigmore Witches'' Following Billie's betrayal (which affected Daud deeply, according to Thomas's observations) and the removal of the Overseers from the Flooded District, Daud discovers Delilah's location at the Brigmore Manor, outside the Dunwall quarantine zone. He enlists the aid of Dead Eels gang leader Lizzy Stride to help him reach the hideout, accomplishing various tasks in Coldridge Prison and Drapers Ward to secure his passage; he also encounters the Brigmore coven on several occasions and slowly uncovers clues to Delilah's ultimate plan. When he arrives at the manor, Daud realizes that Delilah is plotting to use a powerful ritual to steal Emily Kaldwin's body and rule in her place as Empress. In response, he pursues Delilah to the Void and eliminates her in the midst of the ritual, protecting the child he once abducted. The Flooded District While Dishonored runs concurrently with the events of The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches, the mission The Flooded District falls between Daud's elimination of Delilah, and the DLC's epilogue. Discovering a poisoned Corvo Attano adrift in the Flooded District, Daud confiscates his gear and orders his men to place Corvo in confinement, awaiting delivery to Farley Havelock in exchange for a large bounty. Corvo escapes soon after, and one of Daud's men appears to inform him of the break-out. Daud correctly surmises that Corvo is bound for the Commerce Building to confront him, and waits for the man's arrival, recording an audiograph castigating Hiram Burrows and lamenting his own part in the murder of the Empress. Daud's reaction to Corvo's arrival varies based on Corvo's chaos: in low chaos, Daud uses Bend Time on his men and orders them not to interfere while he and Corvo duel. In high chaos, Daud allows his men to assist him in battle to take down Corvo at any cost. Daud is ultimately defeated, and makes a plea for his life. Epilogue Daud muses on the events that transpired during his pursuit of Delilah, noting that "our choices always matter to someone, somewhere," and that people must live with the consequences of their decisions. This conclusion leads him to surrender to the mercy of Corvo Attano, who acts in accordance with Daud's chaos at the end of The Brigmore Witches, either killing or sparing him. If Daud is spared, he can be seen placing his sword at the tomb of the Empress after the end of the credits. If Daud is killed, his body is cremated on a boat in the flooded yard of the Greaves Refinery - if Daud spared Billie at the end of The Knife of Dunwall, she will be there as well, looking on. Trivia *Daud is voiced by Michael Madsen. **Daud's personality and outlook are somewhat similar to Budd, Madsen's character in the Kill Bill films. *According to the official guidebook, "Ego homini Lupus" ("I am a Wolf to man") is his motto. *As with all other assassination targets, if Corvo decides to murder Daud with his sword, a special animation plays in which Corvo grabs Daud, slits his throat, then throws him to the right as he dies. ** In The Brigmore Witches, however, Corvo will throw Daud frontally over the wall rather than into the hole to the right. *Daud is resistant or immune to the majority of Corvo's offensive powers and gadgets. **If Corvo attempts to possess him, Daud will say that his mind is the last place Corvo would want to be. *Wanted posters for Daud feature a picture of a regular assassin rather than Daud, yet throughout The Knife of Dunwall, various civilians will recognize Daud instantly. **Jerome in The Brigmore Witches ''similarly notes that he recognizes Daud from his wanted posters. *Although Daud does not have a mask he can still zoom in and out as if he were using a spyglass. *Daud is also referred to as "The Knife of Dunwall" by Abigail Ames, William Trimble, and in the book The Knife of Dunwall, A Survivor's Tale. *Daud is one of the few individuals outside the Loyalist Conspiracy to know the identity of the Masked Felon; the other three are Griff, Slackjaw, and, if Corvo chooses to reveal his identity, Hiram Burrows. *In the German, Russian, and Italian translations of ''The Brigmore Witches, Daud says that he moved from Serkonos to Dunwall at the age of 16. Developer Harvey Smith has confirmed this information. *Daud's plea to Corvo varies between Dishonored and The Brigmore Witches, with the former being substantially longer. *Though he can use a pistol during the course of gameplay, Daud never acquires upgrades for the weapon. * If Corvo neutralizes his main targets without killing any of them and defeats Daud in open combat, he will comment on how Corvo "found some other way" and says that he could have chosen the same path, but did not. * According to Harvey Smith, Daud "was conceived on a pirate vessel, and grew up in various Serkonan cities."https://twitter.com/Harvey1966/status/620630506728759299 Audio Gallery cedric-peyravernay- daud.jpg|Concept art. models_daud phong sq.jpg|Daud close up render. daud render.jpg|Daud render. KoD-Daud.png|Daud in The Knife of Dunwall. daud target.png|Daud's target portrait. Daud the Knife of Dunwall menu.jpg|Daud in the Knife of Dunwall menu. Daud.jpg|Daud close-up. Pro02.png|Jessamine protects Emily from Daud. Pro01.png|Daud and the Empress as an assassin uses Pull on Corvo. DaudMurderEmpress.jpg|Daud murdering the Empress. Daudmurder.jpg|Daud as seen by Corvo after the Empress' murder. Daud.png|Daud in the Flooded District. daud001.png|Daud with Corvo's equipment. daud flooded district01.png|Daud in the Flooded District. Daudcigarette.jpg|Daud smoking a cigarette. Screens02 daud.png|Daud records an audiograph. Daud Audiograph.png|Daud next to his audiograph player. Screens02 daud7.png|Daud and his assassins fight Corvo. daud and corvo fight fd 1.jpg|Corvo attempts to attack Daud with his sword. Screens02 daud6.png|Daud stops time to fight Corvo alone. daud up close.png|Daud waits for Corvo's decision. Daud Animation1.png|Corvo grabs Daud. Daud Animation2.png|Corvo slits Daud's throat. Daud Animation3.png|Daud, dying. Death_animation_daud.gif|Daud's death animation (GIF). DaudHighChaos.png|Daud atop a pile of corpses. daudandcorvo.png|Daud and Corvo, portrayed during the conclusion of The Knife of Dunwall. kidnapping emily.png|Daud and his assassins delivering Emily to the Pendleton twins. daud attack.png|Daud attacks a City Watch Officer. daud01.png|Daud places his sword on the murdered Empress's gravestone in The Brigmore Witches. Daud's Death.png|A deceased Daud being cremated. dishonoredknifeofdunwall530.jpg|Daud from The Knife of Dunwall. DIS DLC3 MP FINAL 03.jpg|Daud with Delilah in The Brigmore Witches promotional material. Tarot daud.png|Daud's tarot card in the Special Edition Tarot Deck. Tarot06.jpg|Daud's tarot card in the Dishonored Game of the Year Edition Tarot Deck. Artistic Renditions wanted_poster_02_d.jpg|A wanted poster of Daud. Artbook07.jpg|A wanted poster featuring Daud, found in Dishonored: The Dunwall Archives. Daud and the Parabola of the Lost Seasons.png|A painting of Daud by Anton Sokolov. Whaler.jpg|Delilah Copperspoon's painting of Daud. Artbook06.jpg|A portrait of Daud in Dishonored: The Dunwall Archives. References ru:Дауд Category:Male Characters Category:Assassination Targets Category:The Knife of Dunwall Category:The Brigmore Witches Category:Supernatural Category:Gangs Category:Mark Bearers